International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Universal Children Day is celebrated all over the world on November 20th, of every year. This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly to encourage all the countries to promote the mutual exchange and understanding among children and to initiate action to benefit and promote the welfare of world’s children.

Friends Pakistan has been celebrating this event since the year of 2006. Friends Pakistan has celebrated this event at the places where its target communities reside in the form of variant activities pertaining to children.

Universal Children Day was celebrated at the village Sathangali this year on Friday November 20th, 2009. Last year, this event was arranged at Dara Shahal Balakot. This year, an “Awareness Walk” was arranged at Sathangali under the slogan; “Let us promote special protection measures for the children given in UNCRC in the favor of children”.

The objective of this “Awareness Walk” was the promotion of rights of children amongst the local community of Sathangali and to create the right’s awareness amongst children as well which have been agreed by the most member nations of United Nations in the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Child. In this Awareness Walk, children were carrying different banners and Play cards on which slogans were written in the favor of special protection measures and assistance of children, provision of access to services such as education and health care and provision of safe and loving environment for children for the development of their personalities, abilities and talents for the utilizations of their fullest potentials.

Children of NHA Sathangali, Government Primary School (GPS) Sathangali, GPS Bayen, local community members, local social workers, staff of above mentioned government schools and NHA Sathangali also participated in this event. In total, three hundred and sixty four (364) participants had participated in this “Awareness Walk”.

The Walk started in front of NHA Sathangali and headed towards the GPS Sathangali chowk. At Pojori Turn the staff and children of the other two schools, GPS Sathangali and Bayen also joined the Walk. The kids of GPS Bayen were holding the Placards showing slogans which were showing that child labor is the violence against child’s rights. From the pojori Turn, the walk headed towards the Galligada on the main road of the Battal. The walk continued for five hundred (500) meters more passing through different villages. The people of such villages had gathered to watch this rally while getting some leisure time from their routine agricultural work. Women of villages were peeping at the rally while hiding themselves behind their outer most doors.

The rally turned back from the Pojori and headed towards the NHA Sathangali. After reaching the NHA Sathangali the Awareness Walk took the form of a function. In this function, selective children of all three schools presented Natt and speeches on the topics of child’s rights and expectations of children regarding invigorating environment for their personality development and ending of child labor. Center Incharge of NHA Sathangali, Mr. Saleem, head teachers GPS Sathangali Mr. Faiz Ali, head teacher of GMS Sathangali Mr. Gohar Aman and Chairman of Center Management Committee Mr. Qazi Shams Rehman made speeches on the rights of children, importance and background of Universal Children Day and special protection measures for the protection of children which might be undertaken at the local level with the utilization of the local resources.

The Program activity of Awareness Walk educated children and local community members about child’s rights given in UNCRC, importance of Universal Children Day and measures needed for the child protection in the area. This activity is a step ahead towards developing a child protective mechanism at the local level through small self help initiatives.  back

Following is the break down of participants